Work to start on QE2 hotel

A shipyard in the Chinese port of Zhoushan has won the £63 million contract to convert retired Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 into a 400-suite floating hotel.
If plans announced earlier this year are still current, the ship will leave Dubai this week to head for the yard. After five years of uncertainty, who knows for sure?
Perhaps Daniel Chui, chief executive of Oceanic Group, who have taken over responsibility for the ship from Nakheel, who bought the vessel from Cunard and originally planned to berth it in the Emirate.
Chui says: “The ship’s redevelopment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any interior design professional to create what will become one of Asia’s major waterfront tourist attractions.”
Khamis Juma Buamim, chairman of QE2 Holdings and Dubai’s Drydocks World, said: “We are pleased to be working closely with COSCO Shipyard for the technical repair and refurbishment process, which will be carried out with the utmost respect to the QE2’s heritage and splendour.”
No permanent location has yet been announced for the hotel ship, although Singapore and Hong Kong are front-runners. The liner will embark on a 90-day tour of “various Asian ports” next year to showcase her new look.